As I write this, I’ve just returned from Kraken, a baroque gaming retreat in the wilds of Brandenburg, and I’m reflecting on the games that I played. One highlight was a game of Hillfolk that I finally got to play in, run by the designer, Robin Laws. I backed Hillfolk when it was on Kickstarter, so it made me think about how long ago it was – 2013, as it turns out. 11 years later I actually get to play it. And then I considered some of the other games I’ve played at the con, and their year of publication. Pendragon (2016, although a new edition is imminent). Feng Shui 2 (2015). Night Witches ..read more

I’m just about ready for Spring Kraken, one of the highlights of the TTRPG gaming calendar, and so I thought I’d share my prep for one of the games I’m running there. This scenario was the very first one I ran for Feng Shui, way back in (I think) Continuum 2018, and sad to say my original notes are lost in the mists of time and changes of laptops / cloud storage. So I’ve reconstructed it! For this scenario, you’ll want all the PCs to pick archetypes that are native to the Ancient juncture – they start there, and then transition for the finale to cheesy 1999 Hong Kong, for out-of-time comedy ef ..read more

As I write this, I’m deep in prep for my games for two great conventions – Spring Kraken in Germany, and Seven Hills in Sheffield. As it stands I’m running 8 official games between these two conventions, but Kraken being what it is I’ll bring a few extra games to fill any light sessions too. That’s quite a lot of prep.  Alongside this, I keep reading about people who are planning on running a one-shot for the first time, who sometimes never seem to get going. How do you manage to actually get the prep done? And what does ‘done’ even mean? Here are some best practices I use, which might be ..read more

There’s recently been a few books published about gamemastering, and I’m all for it. So much gets written online in a haphazard and sometimes contradictory way (as a visit to any forum will attest); it’s great to see people with genuine experience put down their thoughts in an organised manner. This is what Adventure Crucible does, a short chapbook available in print from All Rolled Up, and online from Drive Thru, in which Robin Laws gives a surprisingly deep dive into adventure structure and prep. While you’re reading this, I should tell you about my Patreon. Patrons get access to content 7 ..read more

Tales from the Forlorn Hope is a classic old-school not-D&D adventure book, of the kind we used to see all the time back in 1992, the year of its publication. Written for Cyberpunk 2020, it has eight adventures, centred around the titular Forlorn Hope bar, where cyberpunks and solos can hang out and get work. I’m very fond of these old adventure books – I think it was Dungeon magazine that got me hooked on TTRPGs before I ever played them – and I’m looking for a gaming project. And it just so happens to be Seven Hills soon, with a theme of PUNK. So, here goes: I’m going to run all eight a ..read more

A first for the blog today – a guest post, by esteemed friend of the Burn, Neil Gow! He’s written below about setting up a one-shot of Masks, the ultimate game of teenage superheroes Powered by the Apocalypse. Neil’s a fantastic PBTA GM – I did a multi-table Masks game last year with him – and as a player in the game he’s writing about, can confirm how well it all slotted together. Check out more PBTA posts on here too! A Short Game of Masks: Getting It Right I love a good game of Masks – it’s easily the most satisfying superhero game I have played, understanding that the really important part ..read more

Well, after blogging about my initial steps to learn a system in Part One, and fully prepping the session in Part Two, I’ve actually run the one-shot of Runehammer’s Index Card RPG (ICRPG) for the Unconventional GMs channel. As promised, I’d like to take a look at what worked well, and what I’m not so sure about, after the action. The session itself is scheduled to be released in March 2024 – so for now you’ll just have to subscribe to the channel if you want to follow along! Reviewing and revisiting our sessions is something that I think we don’t do enough of in the hobby, whether it’s just s ..read more

We’ve got nearly 25 episodes of Unconventional GMs recorded now, all Actual Plays of less than 2 hours – and a frequent question I’ve got is how to keep it below that. While we did it as a creative constraint and because we got frustrated with Actual Plays that took half an hour to get going, it’s an interesting one to consider, and I think both me and Gaz have run enough times to have some hints and tips to help this. While you’re reading this, I should tell you about my Patreon. Patrons get access to content 7 days before they hit this site, the chance to request articles or content, and the ..read more

I thought I’d try something new for this week’s post – a worked example of how my prep looks for a one-shot, from conception to delivery. After Deadlands and Weird Frontiers on the Unconventional GMs Channel, we talked (me, Gaz, and the players for those games) about doing some more wild/weird west games. It seemed as good an idea as any – and of course what could be more authentic than a bunch of British people playing at America’s great mythic tradition – and so I started looking at other RPGs. While you’re reading this, I should tell you about my Patreon. Patrons get access to content 7 day ..read more

We’re in a great time for RPGs, right? More brand recognition, more games, more exposure in popular culture. We no longer have to awkwardly explain our hobby, making it sound like some weird parlour game. We’re in a golden age of TTRPGs, aren’t we? Well – this is good, for sure, but it’s going to get even better. While you’re reading this, I should tell you about my Patreon. Patrons get access to content 7 days before they hit this site, the chance to request articles or content, and the chance to play in one-shot games, for a very reasonable backer level of £2 per month. If you like what you ..read more